Page 1003 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 26 July 1989
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There was also a discussion of R and NVE - that is, non-violent erotica - videos and an agreement to disagree about X classification and other matters. Those matters are not before us. I also commend Information Bulletin No. 2 from the Office of Film and Literature Classification, which helps us to understand this material.
I have no real objection to the Bill at all. I stress that the Bill, if accepted, will make us one of the first cabs off the rank in agreeing to the Commonwealth-wide uniform legislation for practical marking, labelling and lettering on films and film advertising. This is a purely practical matter. It is not a Bill dealing with substantive issues about censorship.
What will be the outcome of this Bill? I talked to Mr John Dickie, the Chief Censor, directly, on the phone from Sydney. I believe he and his censorship team will then be able to make standard classifications, markings and labellings for the whole of Australia, except we are the first in doing that; that has not happened everywhere.
Mr Dickie, by the way, was for many years an inhabitant of this Territory and I would comment therefore that ACT interests would not be neglected. He assured me, as did a member of the administrative staff, of the essentially administrative nature of this Bill on a limited range of activities related to markings on film and film advertising. I note with delight and amazement that this Bill will have no effect whatsoever on income and expenditure.
There may be a question in members' minds - and I know Mr Duby wishes to deal with this - about R ratings and X ratings. These are questions about so-called non-violent erotica, by contrast with films involving unacceptably extreme violence, bestiality, and pornography involving children.
But this Bill has little or nothing to do with those issues, although I do commend members again to look carefully at Information Bulletin No. 1, received by us all. This does not mean that those issues should be ignored by this Assembly, and I would in a way foreshadow further discussion on this, but not at this time. That vexed matter of the ACT as a national centre for the distribution of pornography will have to be addressed elsewhere, possibly through a Bill introduced privately by a member of the Assembly.
The Assembly should certainly now consider that matter - that is, not right at this moment, but we should have that on our agenda - especially given the proposal re the taxing of X-rated videos in yesterday's budget proposals. I wonder whether a select committee on this whole matter should be established. I raise that now as a matter to be discussed at another time.
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